Rule number one when travelling: “when in Rome, do as the Romans do”, and if you want to safely travel through any city, get a guide or follow the lead of those who live in the city.
To help visitors safely navigate the streets of New York, TikTok content creator @erikfnyc shared a few videos on the social media platform, advising tourists on the dos and don’ts.
In his “Tourist Guide for NYC”, Erik shares some crucial information for surviving the city.
@erikfnyc #newyorkcity ♬ original sound - Erikfnyc
“If you’re coming to New York on vacation, let me just break down the rules. If you see anyone with this ski mask and Nike suite, run. Those are what we call… and we’re scared of them too,” warned the content creator.
He said travellers would not find a bathroom in the city and advised travellers not to ask subway employees for advice because they would say no.
“Don’t ever say ‘excuse me’ or words like ‘good morning’. We don’t care where you’re from, how you got here. To speak to a New Yorker, just get straight to the point and say ‘Empire State Building’ and we will point to the direction while we walk away,” said Erik.
He also advised travellers not to hold hands in the streets as everyone in the city was in a rush and you would be blocking traffic.
Commenting on Erik’s video, some TikTok users said New York City was similar to Johannesburg.
@mbileni_nkuna said: “Johannesburg cbd lite😔,” and @tsholofelo_mmusi responded: “Don’t speak down on my city, Jozi is perfect 👍.”
Another user, @copydan, said: “There is an entire TikTok account that points out the best public bathrooms in NYC. Bryant Park has some of the nicest bathrooms around.”
@am02279 said: “Nah! This is Manhattan, you welcome to Queens and please feel free to ask us for directions, say good morning , have a good one… etc ❤️🤗.”
While @ray_g_92 said: “I really wanted to visit NY for a long time. you changed that wish.”